Palm City is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 25,883 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Palm City is in northeast Martin County and is bordered by North River Shores to the northeast, Stuart, the county seat, to the east, the South Fork of the St. Lucie River to the southeast, Florida's Turnpike to the west and Port St. Lucie in St. Lucie County to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Palm City CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 15.39%, are water. Palm City is located north of Miami.
As of the 2020 census, Palm City had a population of 25,883. The median age was 50.8 years. 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.8 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 10,680 households and 6,799 families in Palm City, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.6% were married-couple households, 11.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 11,651 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.3%.
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,097 people, 8,458 households, and 6,301 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 9,228 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.56% White, 1.08% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.
There were 8,458 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $62,362, and the median income for a family was $69,688 (these figures had risen to $67,546 and $84,000 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $48,852 versus $33,699 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,213. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
Palm City is an unincorporated town located in Martin County, governed by the Board of County Commissioners. Martin County is divided into 5 districts. Palm City is represented by Ed Ciampi as part of District 5. All governmental functions are carried out by the county offices.
Police protection is provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office provides coverage for most of Martin county from their headquarters in Stuart.
Fire and EMS services are provided by Station 21 of the Martin County Fire Rescue (Engine 21, Rescue 21, Brush 21, Tanker 21).